Fruit-picker s bag



No. 6l9,06l. Patented Feb. '7, I899. J. WILSON.

- FRUIT PIGKERS BAG.

(Application filed Sept. 6, 1898.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WVILSON, OF DUARTE, CALIFORNIA.

FRUIT-PICKERS BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,061, dated February '7, 1899.

Application filed September 6, 1898. Serial No. 690,364. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WILSON, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Duarte, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Fruit- Pickers Bag, of which the following is aspecification.

An object of my invention is to provide a fruit-pickers bag which will be more convenient for use than any fruit=pickers bag heretofore known, and which can conveniently be adjusted to two or more difierent sizes to adapt the bag for difierent-sized pickers and different kinds of fruit.

My invention relates to that class of fruitpickers bags in which the top and bottom of the bag are open, the top being held open by a frame and suitable. means being provided to close the lower end of the bag sufliciently to hold the fruit in the bag and to open to allow the fruit to run out of the bag when desired. My invention pertains to the means for closing and opening the bottom of the bag for holding and releasing the fruit.

I fasten a flexible connection, such as a chain or cord, to the rear member of the bag at the middle of the lower end thereof and provide means for fastening the other end of the connection to the body of the bag, whereby the lower end of the bag can be closed by drawing up on the cord or chain and fastening it to the bag.

Preferably I fasten a strap to the lower end of the rear member of the bag to form a loop with its ends on opposite sides of the midwidth of the member and fasten the flexible connection thereto by a ring, through whichthe strap runs freely, so as to seek the midwidth of the bag. Preferably the lower end of the rear member is folded over diagonally at the corners, so as to taper from the sides of the bag to the sides of the loop.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a view showing one form of my newly-invented fruit-pickers bag as the same appears when closed and ready for use. Fig. 2 is a front view of the bag open. Fig. 3 is a vertical mid-section of the form shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view of a modified form of my invention with the bag open. Fig. 5 is a vertical mid-section of the form shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental sec= tional detail to show the wire and reinforced portion of the bag.

My newly-invented fruit-pickers bag comprises a receptacle AA, formed of canvas or other suitable material,the lower end of which receptacle is open, aflap, as a a, being pr0- vided below the opening to close the opening by being bent upward. This flap may be an extension of only the rear member of the bag, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6, or it may be a downward continuation of the bag, as shown in Figs. 4. and 5. To this flap is attached a chain 0, and at the upper part of the receptacle a hook dis provided, into which the chain can be hooked to hold the flap in its uppermost position to close the opening leading from the receptacle. The upper end of the chain 0 or an extension thereof is permanently fastened to a frame D at the upper portion of the receptacle and is of such length that when the chain is allowed to hang free the lower end of the receptacle can be drawn up again by the chain without requiring the picker to bend over.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6 the front margin of the opening at the lower end of the receptacle is reinforced or stiffened by a wire E, which extends across from side to side of the bag and serves to cause the flap to bend readily at the line of the wire when the flap is pulled up by the chain. It is to be understood that this wire may be applied to either of the forms shown; but I do not deem it desirable except in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6.

F indicates the shoulder-strap, fastened at one end to one side of the top of the receptacle and being long enough to extend over the shoulder and down to support the other side of the receptacle. The free end of the strap is provided with one or more rings f f, and the receptacle is provided at one side with a hook a to hook into either of the rings to support the receptacle.

In practical operation the workman will suspend the bag from his shoulder, as shown in Fig. 1, and will draw the chain 0 up to fold the flap up and will secure the chain in place by hooking the ring a or 0 onto the hook d. Then the fruit is gathered and placed in the bag until the same is full. Then the picker will carry the bag to the place where the fruit is to be deposited and will then unhook the chain and will allow it to run through his hand, thusto gently lower. the flap, thus allowing the fruit to pass out gently through the opening at the bottom of the bag and be delivered where required. When the fruit has been deposited, the chain will again be drawn up and fastened, as shown in Fig. 1, and the operation will be repeated.

The mouth of the bag is fastened to and held open by the frame D, which is made of wire.

By hooking the ring 0 over the hook the lower end of the bag is closed and the full capacity of the bag is available. The bag is thus held for gathering oranges, lemons, apples, and other hard fruits. For soft fruit or for use by smaller people one of the lower rings 0 or c is hooked over the hook, thus drawing the bend of the bag up higher and decreasing the available capacity of the bag.

By the use of the flexible chain or fastener at the mid-width of the bag I increase the facility with which the operator can open or close the bag, and the flexible character of the fastening almost absolutely does away with any accidental unfastening.

In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 6 the front member of the bag is reinforced at its lower end by the wire E, extending from edge to edge, and the material of the bag is lapped up over the wire and doubled upon itself four inches, more or less, as indicated at a, thus giving a suitable stiffness to the lower end of the front member of the bag, so that when the operator draws up on the cord or chain 0 the flap will be bent at the wire, thus more easily closing the lower end of the bag, and the wire provides for the retention of the fruit with less bending of the bag than is required without the wire, thus materially increasing the capacity as compared with the other form. 1

When the chain is unfastened and the bag allowed to drop open, all the fruit will be discharged.

,Thehook cZis preferably formed by bending a portion of the wire which forms the frame D. a indicates a loop having its ends fastened on opposite sides of the mid-width of the flap and run through the ring or link cof the chain, so that the chain readily seeks the midwidth of the loop and bag.

By providing a flexible connection, as the chain 0, fastened to a centrally-arranged loop, as at a and fastening the flexible connection to the top of the bag the operator is given perfect control over the sack to discharge the fruit without stooping, the chain being long enough to allow the sack to fully open, while the upper end of the chain is fastened to the upperend of the sack, and is thus within reach of the operator. The ring 0, running upon the loop a allows the chain to be freely moved by the escaping fruit, so that the fruit is not obstructed in its outward passage, and when the chain is again drawn up the ring centers on the loop and the loop draws the end of the 'bag up into the true position shown in Fig. 1.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A fruit-pickers bag open at the upper and lower ends and provided at the lower end to hook over the hook.

A fruit-pickers bag open at top and bottom, and provided with a frame and a hook at the top, and with a reinforced portion at the bottom of its front member, and with a downward extension of the rear member; and a flexible connection connected with the downward extension of the rear memberat the mid-width thereof and adapted to be caught over the hook substantially as set forth.

4. A fruit-pickers bag open at top and bottom and provided at the rear side of the bottom of the rear member with a loop having its ends fastened to the rear member on opposite sides of the mid-width of such member; a flexible connection with a ring through which the loop runs and means for fastening the flexible connection to the upper end of the bag substantially as set forth.

5. A fruit-pickers bag open at top and bottom and with a frame at the top, a flexible connection connected at one end with the lower end of the rear member of the bag, and connected at the other with the open end of the bag and being of sufficient length to allow the rear member to drop down to open the bag; and means for fastening the connection to the upper portion of the bag to close the lower end of the bag.

6. Afruit-pickers bag open at top and bottom with flexible connection to draw the bottom of the bag upward to close it and a frame for the top of the bag formed of wire with a portion thereof bent to form a hook for securing the flexible connection.

JOSEPH WILSON.

Witnesses:

JAMEs R. TOWNSEND, ALFRED I. TOWNSEND.

IEO 

